Hood hinge



Oct. 9, 1951 w. A. THOMAS 2,570,992

HOOD HINGE Filed Oct. 5, 1946 V ATTOBNE1$ Patented Oct. 9, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOOD HINGE- William A. Thomas, Chicago, ilL, assignor to The Four Wheel Drive Auto Goinpany, Clintonville, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application October 5, maseri'ai No. 701,482

4 Claims; (Cl. 16-128.1)

' 1 I This invention relates to improvements n The primary objects of the invention are'the in hood provision of a hood having a stationary top cantral Section and hinged side sections, wherein the hinge not only functions without a pintle but includes means restricting the parts against relative axial movement and means whereby the parts are under tension in thenormal hinge position, whereby to eliminate rattle's, and means whereby the hinged hood sections maybe swung through an arcmaterially greater than 90 between closed and open positions, and means whereby the hinged sections may, in one position of relative adjustment be freely withdrawn from the vehicle and completely removed with out the necessity for any us of tools or any manipulation Whatever other than that of the part withdrawn. L V

These and other objects of the invention will be more clearly apparent from the following disclosurethereof.

In the drawings: k r

Fig. 1 is: a View principally in side elevation and partially in section showing an auter'rio 1e hood made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view in transverse section through the hinged conned tion between two hood parts as these parts ap: pear when the hinged portion of the closed. p m

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2' showing the relative positions of the parts when the hinged hood portion is wide open.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig.2 showing the relative position of the parts when the movable hood portion is in a position for bodily withdrawal. v v, 7

' Fig. is a fragmentary detail view in perspective showing a portion of the stationary hood section with which the removable panel coopto position, being supported at its ends upon the flanges 2 and 3 with which the automobile cowl and radiator shell are conventionally provided.

hood is For almost the entire length of each of its side margins, the stationary hood section I is provided with a channel-like receptacle of the peculiar form shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. An integral portion of the hood section is benthorizontally inwardly at 4 and downwardly substantially at right angles (approximately vertically) at 5. Thence the metal is bent on a comparatively broad radius for approximately at 6 to extend obliquelyupwardly at 1. The extreme margin is formed into a semi-tubular bead at 8 merging almost horizontally with the oblique portion I and extending thence a1mos't' l8() on a short radius to a line approximately above the point where the bead joins the oblique portion I. As above indicated, the respective side panels 9 and ID are both hingedly movable and bodily removable in the manner illustrated by details of the hinge parts with which panel 9 is provided. At its upper margin, each side panel has a broad shallow channel II which is formed outwardlyfrom the plane of the panel. The strip or flange I2 is substantially planiform. Being bent on a short radius of I3' back across the channel toward the panel, it is preferably oiiset therefrom substantially by the amount of the thickness of the metal so that the outer surface of the edge strip I2 is approximately flush with the inner surface of panel 9. The width of the edge strip I2 from thebend I3 is slightly greater than the normal spacing between the bend I4 in the main hinge section and the shoulder or fulcrum I5 provided where the bead joins the oblique portion 1. As a result, the edge strip I2 of the movable panel sli'gl'ltl'y deflects the oblique'strip' I in the osition of the parts shown in Fig. 1 whereby the Bends [3 and I4 are held together under tension.

' Similarly the head 8' abuts the inner surface o'f channel II and the outer surface of the strip I2 of the movable panel to maintain these parts slightly under tension. Thus, in the closed posi tion of the panel as shown in" Fig. 2, there willbe no tendency of the hood parts to'ra-ttle-l Near the ends of the respective movable panels,

portions of their respective edge strips I2 are severed and turned inwardly, as shown in. Fig. 6; to provide the stops' !6. As shown Figs. land 5;; the reeeptacl with whichthe stationary hood section I is provided terminates somewhat short of the extreme front and rear of the hood. The stops I6 of the movable panel abut the ends of the parts 4, 5, B and 1 of the receptacle to preclude any end play between the movable panels and the 3 stationary Section of the hood, the abutment being illustrated in detail in Fig. 7.

Conventional latch means I! is preferably employed to hold the movable panels closed. It will be apparent that upon the release of such latch means the panels 9 and It may be pivoted for hinged movement, the lower margin of the edge strip or flange [2 of the movable panelriding in the bead 8 of the fixed section and bein restrained therein by the fact that the channel H of each movable section engages the bead 8 externally. The inherent resilience of the metals commonly used for automobile hoods is such that the slight degree of distortion required to maintain the parts tightly engaged does not exceed the elastic limit of the materials used.

It is important for the particular use to which this hinge is put that the movable panel can be opened more than 90". In order to give free access to the engine, it must either open more than 90 or must be bodily removable. The present invention provides for both such objectives. Fig. 3 shows the panel 9 raised beyond, the horizontal to a position where the engine is readily accessible. Fig. 4 shows how, with the panel horizontal, it is freely removable, this being desirable, for example, when hot weather requires more complete exposure of the engine to air circulation. The panel 9 is swung to either position about the lower margin of the strip or flange 12 which pivots on the receptacle shoulder [5 which acts as a fulcrum. .The space between the bead 8 and the bend at I4 in the stationary section I of the hood is equal to, or greater than, the width of channel ll of the movable section. Hence, when the movable panel is manipulated to a horizontal position in which the minimum dimension of channel II registers with the clearance between bead 8 and bend l4, the component parts of the hinge are readily separable. Fig. 4 shows the movable panel half Way out of the receptacle provided by the stationary section. Reengagement is equally easy, requiring only bodily manipulation of the parts without tools and preferably without an distortion, or the operation of any mechanism.

It will be apparent that I have provided a hinge which not only functions without a pintle, but which is rattleproof, secure against axial displacement of the parts, opens wide to permit servicing,

1. In an automobile hood hinge for connecting a stationary hood portion and a hingedly movable panel, the combination with a receptacle on the hood having a longitudinally extending lateral opening and provided with fulcrum means adjacent a lower edge of said opening, of a hinge element connected with the panel and normally engaged in said receptacle, said element comprising a channel having a side and a pivot portion at an end of the side, said pivot portion of the side being normally engaged with said fulcrum means, said side having a width sufficient normally to close the opening of said receptacle, said channel having a depth less than the width of said side whereby, upon manipulation of said panel to a position in which the depth of said element is presented to theopening in the receptacle, said element will pass freely from said receptacle to permit disengagement of said panel.

2. In a separable hinge connection between two members, the combination with a receptacle having a lateral opening, a top wall leading from said opening, a back wall connected with the top wall and a bottom wall obliquely inclined upwardly-toward said opening and'terminating in a marginal bead outwardly convex, of a channel suificiently shallow to be bodily receivable through said opening, and having a flange partially closing said channel, the spacing between the receptacle back wall and bead being sufficient to receive said flange for admission into the bead and the width of the flange being sufiicient so that when manipulated in engagement with the bead the flange substantially closes the receptacle opening.

3. An automobile hood hinge for connecting a stationary central hood section with a hingedly movable side panel, said hinge comprising a receptacle integral with the central hood section and extending along one side of the hood section. said receptacle being provided with a lateral opening, the receptacle having a top wall extending inwardly from the top of the opening, a back wall extending downwardly substantially at right angles to the top wall, a bottom wall connected with the back wall and extending outwardly and upwardly, a bead connected to the margin of the bottom wall and forming with said margin a fulcrum, said bead extending from said margin convexly outwardly and inwardly to define the lower margin of said opening, together with a complementary hinge element comprising a channel integral with the pivotally movable panel and convex outwardly from the plane thereof, said channel having a terminal flange bent sharply back across the inside of the channel into close proximity to said panel, the width of the flange being such as to require the flange to engage the stationary hood section at the top of the opening and the fulcrum to span said opening when the panel is closed, the depth of the channel being sufliciently less than the width of the flange so that when the panel is manipulated to protect laterally from the receptacle, the flange and channel may be manipulated through said opening to free the panel from the stationary hood section, the distance between the bead and the back wall of the receptacle being greater than the width of the flange whereby to permit the flange to clear the head for withdrawal through said opening.

4. The device of claim 3 in which said flange has integral end portions extending at right angles to the flange across the ends of the receptacle and constituting means for precluding axial displacement of the panel respecting the stationary hood section.

WILLIAM A. THOMAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Num"-er Name Date 1,666,211 Kellogg Apr. 1'7, 1928 1,731,424 Kohn Oct. 15, 1929 1,734,810 Jeffers Nov. 5, 1929 1,995,255 Olsen Mar. 19, 1935 

